Christopher Alexander’s keynote speech at the ACM Convention on “Object Oriented Programs, Systems, Languages and Applications”, (OOPSLA) in San Jose, CA, October 6 - 10 1996. Christopher Alexander connects his architectural work on patterns and pattern languages [03:40] with the field of computing. He introduces the theoretical framework behind his upcoming work, "The Nature of Order" [04:12], and expresses concern about the lack of "living structure" in the modern built environment [05:52]. Alexander emphasizes the moral component underlying his work, questioning if computing patterns also strive to improve human life [13:39]. He discusses the importance of a pattern language's ability to generate coherent wholes [17:32], the recursive structural characteristics related to patterns [21:11], finding objective criteria for "life" in structures [24:57], and the concept of "unfolding wholeness" [41:25]. He concludes by urging the computing community to consider their potential role in creating living structures in the world [59:22].

Transcript : https://www.patternlanguage.com/archive/ieee.html